The word abstract was derived from the Latin abstractum, which means a condensed form of a longer piece of writing. An abstract is a concise summary of a completed research project or paper. A well-written abstract will entice the reader to read your paper, hear you speak, or learn more about your research. Abstracts also serve as a summary of the research so the paper can be categorized and searched by subject and keywords.
Generally, abstracts are limited to 200 to 300 words, but the exact word limit will be stated by the publication, conference, or organization requesting the abstract It usually comes at the beginning of a paper and allows people to get a brief glimpse into the content of your research before reading your report in its entirety.
It should capture the essence of your research in a lucid and succinct way. A good abstract will normally contain the following elements:
1. A statement of the problem/ issues that you are investigating, including an indication of the need for your research
2. The aim or purpose of the research
3. Your research methods
4. Your result/findings
5. Your main conclusion(s) and recommendation(s) An abstract should be written in one block paragraph using single spacing.
An abstract in a master’s dissertation should contain a maximum of 350 words. An abstract in a doctoral thesis should contain more than 400 words. As a heading, the word ABSTRACT should be in upper case, bold and centralized. An abstract should be self-explanatory and self-contained; that main that an abstract should not contain references, in-text citations, tables, figures, etc.
Example
ABSTRACT
[PROBLEM]The current waves of religious conflicts in Nigeria have given meaningful Nigerians a cause for deep concern in recent times. The loss which religious conflicts have caused this great nation is unquantifiable. The cultural and religious diversity of Nigeria as a nation has no doubt made peaceful coexistence, which enhances the quality of life, an unattainable grandiose, most especially in the last two decades. The intricacy of diverse faiths, beliefs, traditions, and languages coupled with religious fundamentalism and fanaticism has led to religious communalism, arson, looting, killing, rape, and damage to properties. Since there can be no peace among the people without peace among religions, there can be no peace among religions without dialogue among religions. [AIM]This paper, therefore, aims at presenting inter-religious dialogue as an alternative and pragmatic approach towards peaceful coexistence among religious adherents in Nigeria. [METHODS]The paper will employ historical and analytical research methods. In data collection, secondary sources will be engaged. [FINDINGS]The findings of this study, however, reveal that interreligious dialogue provides scope for the removal of misconceptions and misunderstandings. In view of the findings of this work [CONCLUSION], the study concludes that interreligious dialogue can help to develop a pluralistic perspective by annihilating the exclusive claims of our religions, alleviating communal violence and bringing peace. [RECOMMENDATION] It is recommended that interreligious dialogue should be encouraged and persistently allowed to thrive among different religions in Nigeria and the world at large.
Note: The headings such as problem, aim, etc. in the examples given in the work above are just for emphasis sake. Your work is not expected to carry such headings. The point of emphasis here is that, good abstract must state the research problem, aim/purpose, methods, results/findings, conclusion, and recommendation.
